Photo: JSU Sports Media
Matthew Adams
Managing Editor
Winning has become a regular occurrence for Coach Tomekia Reed and the Jackson State women’s basketball team. For the past 4 years, the Lady Tigers have taken a trip to and won the SWAC championship.
Making the SWAC championship is one thing but playing against a rival such as Alcorn makes the stakes even higher. The game would start with the Lady Tigers playing hard defense and solid offense.
Throughout the first quarter, the Braves were not able to score until around the 4 minute and 41 second mark. The score would be 3-8.
The scoring drought from the Braves would continue. Alcorn State would only score three times extending Jackson State’s lead to 9 making the score 17-8.
The Lady Tigers would put even more pressure on the Braves throughout the second quarter. There wouldn’t be many back and forth baskets between the two teams during the quarter but this would not put a dent in the lead that Jackson State has.
Free-throws would be the main mode of scoring but nevertheless this would get the job done as the lead after the end of the second quarter would be up by two. The score is now 12-33.
The Braves would only score 4 points with those four points being a couple of free throws and one made jumper. On the contrast Jackson State was able to be dominant on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball which would translate into points.
Two quarters in and the game was still in arms reach of being a tight game but that was not the case as the third quarter would roll around.
The three point shot would be the more consistent shot throughout the third quarter and take the Lady Tigers to a high level of play.
Even though the Braves were down by a large margin throughout the three quarters, the Braves were able to improve the amount of points that they were able to score with 11 points.
At the end of the 3rd quarter the score would be 50-23. A 27 point lead would not keep the Tigers content going into the 4th quarter.
Entering the 4th quarter, The Braves would make an effort to cut the lead down. Alcorn would start the quarter with a layup and keep that going with a three point jumper making the score 51-28.
The fourth quarter would show an unrelenting will to get the win from the Tigers but the Braves would put forth a strong effort as well.
During the 4th quarter there would be multiple possessions where there would be back-to-back buckets but would only push the Tigers to maintain a double digit lead.
The Tigers would be successful in keeping their lead and would win the game 68-44. Even though the Braves lost they would be able to increase the amount of points that they were during every quarter.
During the postgame conference Coach Reed would emphasize her feelings toward the opposing team. “I just want to take my hat off to Alcorn…to get to the championship game they were a very composed and great team.”
Reed would also share some more positive traits about the team stating, “ They played their pace… you couldn’t speed them up.”
With the recent rise in Women’s basketball Coach Reed had this to say. “We have elevated the game in terms of the HBCU women’s basketball team… We just hope our team will be respected where we don’t have to come in at [the] 15th seed.”
“We understand that we are an athletic team and we are better when we are rebounding.”
Miya Crump, a 6 foot 1 inch guard from Houston, TX, would retrospectively express strengths of the Jackson State team.
Jackson State students would share their thoughts on the historic night.
Christopher Moore, a junior civil engineering major from Atlanta, GA, felt as if Coach Reed is the best coach in Jackson State history.
“Jackson State has seen some ok coaches but I feel that she is really making a change in the current landscape of sports at Jackson State,” Moore stated.
Moore would state, “Even though we had Deion as the football coach, I feel like she is here to stay for the long run.”
This win would mark a historic run that Coach Reed has brought forth to the Jackson State Women’s basketball program.
